An Autobiography: Richard Avedon + Malcolm McLaren

Armed with a pint of ice cream, I decided to raid our mini library once again. I know I said I’m NEVER GONNA DO IT EVER SOBER but I need to keep myself occupied. This rather LARGE book caught my eye…

When I saw that 13-year old book on the shelf, I asked myself, "isn’t Richard Avedon a very important fashion photographer?" My sweaty hands and whatever internal organs I have left went convulsing: I just have to open the big brown book with the big red letters.

And boy I wasn’t disappointed. Y’all know the only books I like to ‘read’ are books with pictures. I must’ve spent an hour or two looking at some of the beautiful portraits Richard Avedon (who is one of my favourite photographers ever) took in his lifetime.

BTW, will you please identify who this gorgeous person is? There’s a few pages missing from the index so I don’t know who she is. Beautiful. Soo beautiful. She’s soo chic and she looks like a flip. I doubt it she is though. Look at those killer bone structure. The hair! The neck! The jawline! The lips! The eyebrows! It’s symmetrical perfection galore! GORGEOUS! FUCKING GORGEOUS!

Here’s a photo of Coco Chanel back in 1958. Take note of the necklaces. Excess, excess, excess!

I also ‘discovered’ a new person I should like – model Suzy Parker (Cecilia Ann Renee Parker) from the early 60s. Isn’t she chic?

Avedon’s photos are really captivating. The book covered every human emotion you can think of: joy, happiness, sadness, loneliness, anger, misery, grief, etc. Even death is covered — oh yes, there’s no shortage of human skulls and skeletons. Each photograph tells a story.

Love the photos of patients in mental health hospitals.

See Andy Warhol on the right? Anyway, the fat one on the picture is New York socialite Brigid Polk. She used to stay at The Plaza and inject herself with lots of amphetamines before going to Bloomingdale’s with her sister. While they’re high, they would buy a lot of clothes and walk out of the store wearing them, leaving their old clothes literally down the road. Truly fabulous!

An Autobiography: Richard Avedon (1993) is available at Amazon.com for US$100. I don’t know why on earth this book is gathering dust in our house but this massive, 10-kilogram book is probably one of the best coffee table books I’ve ever seen in the longest time.

Malcolm McLaren

In this crowded desert they call Paris, mmhmm, I’ll… be… watching you… watching me watching you. And everytime I think of you, I think.. could this be love?

I can’t hide it anymore! J’adore Malcolm!!!!!! I’ll share with you the song I want to be played on my funeral when I’m 80 years old and I’m wearing Oscar de la Renta: LA MAIN PARISIENNE! This is one of my favourite songs of all time. I also love his other track, "Jazz is Paris" from his album "Paris".

nice photos! did anyone see the move “I Shot Andy Warhol”?
it was cool!
wow i made so many online friends from this website. anyone is welcomed to add me
I swear to god i’ll visit the Philippines
next year!
Bryan Boy sorry to hear about your EX. At least you don’t spend money on chicks and get zero in return like heterosexual guys. love your site…write a book and i’ll be your first customer!!

ah yes, the woman in the first photo is my mother circa 1967….hahahaha, i kid i wouldnt know if she is asian or whatever but she kinda looks black to me or at least a mix, like the prettier version of kimora lee simmons

Hello, Just Googling around for that picture of Chanel which I love!
So maybe you already found this out, but the mystery model is China Machado, the first non-white supermodel. She is of Portuguese-Chinese ancestry (I think she was born in Shanghai?) and spent time in Brazil, and now lives in the New York area. She is def a hero!